Gray is the New Red
by RedQ
Summary: Barry kept his head down in shame as he walked through the station. All of the officers at the CCPD were staring at him, no doubt wondering why he was wearing handcuffs and being pushed forward by Officer Liddell towards the booking area.
1. Framed

**Framed**

As soon as the elderly woman had left the room to make tea, Barry and Eddie quickly stood up from the too-small couch, shaking off the awkwardness of having been sitting hip to hip with each other. Barry looked at a photograph that was sitting on the mantelpiece of the fireplace but was disappointed to see that it was quite dated and wouldn't be of much use to them.

"Ma'am," he called out, walking towards the kitchen where the woman had disappeared, "Would you happen to have a more recent photograph of Hannibal?"

When there was no answer, Barry stepped further into the kitchen.

"She's gone," he said to Eddie in alarm. Eddie's eyes widened.

"I'll get the front," Barry said quickly. Eddie nodded in understanding and headed for the back door.

Once outside, Barry looked around but didn't see anyone. Without hesitation, he called STAR Labs.

"Hey," he said as soon as they picked up, "I found Hannibal Bates. He was impersonating _grandma_."

"Barry, do _not_ let him touch you," Wells said seriously.

"I think he may have already though," Barry said in a worried voice, "She—He patted my arm when we walked into the house."

"At least make sure you don't let him see you use your superspeed," Caitlin advised over the speaker.

"Well how am I supposed to catch him?!" Barry said in an irritated voice.

"The old-fashioned way," Wells said in a smug, slightly amused voice, "Run like a normal person."

"Okay, alright," Barry sighed, hanging up the phone.

"Oh, man," he groaned as he took off down the street. _This sucks._

Barry ran as fast as he could while trying to appear like a normal-moving person. It was painful to him to "run" this slow. He paused in his tracks for a moment of dread when he heard the shots and then took off at superspeed, no longer caring if anyone saw.

He got there just in time to find Eddie stooped down next to one of the cops lying on the ground.

"Barry," Eddie said in a panicked voice, "Call 911."

The ambulances didn't take long to arrive. One of the officers was declared dead on scene, but the other was taken off to the nearest trauma center in critical condition. He didn't seem like he was going to make it though. Barry felt terrible. If he hadn't been so concerned about preserving his identity, he would have been there in time to save them.

Barry felt ten times more terrible, however, when they were back at the station and they reviewed the video footage taken by the squad car's front view camera. It showed no one other than himself pulling the trigger on the two cops. Barry stared at the footage in shock, staring at his own face on the screen in disbelief. The other cops in the room all looked at him in surprise. There was a moment before any of them said or did anything, but after a minute, Officer Liddell stepped forward, pulling out a pair of handcuffs.

"Barry Allen," he said in a flat voice, grabbing Barry by the shoulder and turning him around, "You're under arrest for the murder of Detective Henderson and Officer Dillashaw."

Barry didn't resist as he felt the handcuffs close around his wrists behind his back. He was too stunned to move.

"Andy," one of the younger officers said to Officer Liddell, "You can't possibly believe Barry is capable of something like this."

"I don't know," Liddell said wildly, "But we can't just ignore the video evidence. We have no choice but to arrest him."

No one really had anything to say to argue against that. No one except Eddie of course.

"Barry didn't do this!" he said loudly, "I was there. I reached the two officers before Barry did. He couldn't have done it!"

Barry just stood in stunned silence with his hands cuffed behind his back and his mouth hanging open. This can't seriously be happening right now.

"I don't like this any more than you do," Officer Liddell said, "But like I said, we don't really have a choice."

And with that he led Barry from the room while reciting his Miranda rights. Barry hardly heard a word of it. He was too shocked by how quickly this all was happening. He knew all of it already anyways.

Barry kept his head down in shame as he walked through the station. All of the officers at the CCPD were staring at him, no doubt wondering why he was wearing handcuffs and being pushed forward by Officer Liddell towards the booking area.

Barry's mind was going frantic as he was have his mug shot photos taken. With a lump in his throat, he turned to the side when they told him to and let them take his picture. He didn't say a word as they swabbed his hands for gun residue and then took his fingerprints.

Where was Joe when he needed him? That's right. He was still in Starling City with Cisco investigating Wells and Tess Morgan. Their timing couldn't have been any worse.

It was a very long night for Barry. He was led to a private room where he was then handcuffed to a desk. They questioned him for hours, during which time Barry's story remained the same. He and Eddie had each taken a side of the house and chased after the guy, and he had arrived on scene to find Eddie stooped over the officers. It was as simple as that.

It didn't help that the detective who was questioning him, Detective Rousey, had been very close friends with both of the officers who had been killed. He didn't know Barry very well, so he had no doubt in his mind of Barry's guilt.

By midnight, Barry was led to a small jail cell where he would spend the night. He didn't sleep. He was too sick to. He just hoped that Eddie or someone would be able to get him out of this somehow, without the Flash's help.


	2. One Phone Call

**One Phone Call**

The video was pretty cut and dry. The two cops arrived on scene to meet Barry, who then didn't hesitate to unload a bullet into each of them before taking out the camera. What happened after that is unclear.

"I know what this looks like, Cecil," the captain said to the DA.

"It looks like your CSI shot two of your cops, both of whom are now dead," she said in a serious voice.

"That's not what happened," Singh said firmly. He had been notified of the entire incident right when he first came in this morning, and he was giving it his full attention.

"David, I am the district attorney," she said exasperatedly, "I can't ignore what I just watched because you _want_ me to."

"We both know that there are things going on in this city that can't be explained," Singh argued. Eddie, who was standing next to the captain, nodded his agreement.

"Come on, David," she said somewhat angrily as she opened the door of the office to leave, "Until you show me something incontrovertible, I can't stop Allen from facing these charges."

"What about the gun?" Eddie said insistently, "Barry doesn't even carry a gun out in the field. Where did the gun come from then?"

"I'm sure Mr. Allen is more than capable of acquiring a firearm," the DA argued.

"And I'm sure he is also capable of making it disappear in less a minute," Eddie said sarcastically, "He didn't have a gun on him after it happened."

"Well, I'm sorry to be the one to tell you this, but a gun _was_ found just a few yards away from the crime scene," Cecil informed him, "And it had Allen's fingerprints all over it."

Eddie stood there for a moment in shocked silence upon learning this information. He recovered quickly though.

"But he didn't have any gun residue on his hands. Barry never fired a gun last night."

"Look," the DA said, still standing in the doorway, "I'm not saying Barry for sure did it. I'm just saying that between the fingerprints and the video evidence, I don't think I'm going to be able to help Barry out of this one."

She gave them an apologetic look before turning out the door and leaving.

"Don't worry, Thawne," Singh said to Eddie, "We'll figure this whole thing out."

…..

Barry sat in the jail cell, wondering what was happening. He still hadn't slept. He sat up all night, wondering if anyone was working to try to get him out of this. Of course Eddie would stand up for him and vouch for him, but Barry wondered how much use Eddie's statement would be. Someone else's word doesn't hold much weight when there's video evidence to dispute it.

He sat there and stared at his hands, which still had black ink coating his fingertips from when they had taken his fingerprints. Barry couldn't get rid of the sick feeling in his stomach. Not only was he possibly facing life in prison, but people were going to think that he had actually done this, that he had actually murdered those two cops in cold blood.

Now he knew how his father had felt after being convicted for his mother's murder. Really, that had to have been worse though. He had just lost his wife, and he was separated from his son, who was probably being told what a cold-blooded killer his father was. Barry's dad for sure had it worse. Way worse. Now that Barry found himself in a similar situation, he started to wonder if maybe his family was just cursed or something.

As it grew closer to noon, Barry started to lose it. No one was talking to him. No one was letting him know what was going on. He hadn't even gotten a phone call yet. Wasn't he supposed to get a phone call? He didn't even really know how this all worked. He always just did the forensics part of it all. The booking and processing of criminals after they had been arrested was a bit of a mystery to him.

Barry took a deep breath and continued to stare at his hands in his lap. This was going to be the longest day of his life.

…..

After leaving Singh's office, Eddie ran headlong into Iris.

"Eddie!" she cried out, running to him. He took her hands in his own.

"Eddie, what is going on?" she asked in a panic, "Everyone at CCPN is saying that Barry shot and killed two cops. How is that even possible?"

Eddie pulled her by the hand to lead her over to stand by the window where their conversation would be somewhat private.

"We're not sure yet," he started to tell her.

"You don't believe he did this, do you?!" she asked worriedly.

"No," Eddie said immediately, "No, of course not. Barry would never do anything like that."

"I need to see him!" Iris said hysterically. She pulled away, about to head towards where they were keeping Barry, but Eddie stopped her. He grabbed her arm and gently pulled her back towards him.

"You can't," he said sadly, "You can't see him. They're not going to let you. I haven't even been allowed in by him yet."

Iris started to cry, her breath hitching in her throat.

"Hey, listen to me," Eddie said firmly to her, "I'm going to do everything in my power to help Barry. Okay? I'm going to get him out. Alright?"

Iris nodded, tears streaming down her face. Eddie hugged her and held her as she cried, worried senseless for her best friend.

…..

It wasn't until later that afternoon that Barry finally got his phone call. He considered calling STAR Labs to tell them about Bates and his predicament, but he decided to call Joe instead. He felt like Joe had the right to know everything that was going on first, and Joe could always contact STAR Labs for him after that.

"Hey, Joe, it's Barry," he said when Joe answered.

"Barry," Joe said, "You'll never guess what we found at Wells' accident site. We did some digging and—"

"Joe," Barry said to stop him, "Something's happened."

Within minutes of hearing about Barry's situation, Joe decided to pack everything up and race back to Central City right away. Cisco stayed behind to run some tests on the body they had found alongside the road, and he would be joining them back in Central City as soon as he was done.

Joe didn't reach the CCPD until late at night, and he was furious when they wouldn't let him see Barry. He called everyone that night. The DA, Judge Ross, Captain Singh, but none of them could help him. He would have to wait to see his son.

The next morning, Joe stormed into the captain's office first thing and demanded to see Barry.

"They transferred him," Singh told him regretfully, "The jail has been too overcrowded lately. We had to make space for incoming cases. I was against it, but it was out of my hands."

"Where is he then?!" Joe asked angrily, "Where did they bring my son?"

"He's on his way to Iron Heights, Joe," Singh said sadly.


	3. Six by Eight Feet

**Six by Eight Feet**

Barry had been to Iron Heights countless times before. All of those times though, he had been going as a visitor. Now he was entering one of the buildings there that he had never been in before, and he was going in as a prisoner. He found the experience to be something else entirely.

He was ushered into a line of other prisoners, some of them convicts. Others, like him, were simply awaiting their court trials and were just being sent there because there was nowhere else to keep them. Barry saw the man that he had apprehended just last week for a robbery standing a few feet away from him. Then he saw another man whom the Flash had stopped from assaulting a woman on her way to her car two days ago. He was just glad none of them knew he was the Flash or this day would have been a whole new level of terrible for him.

If only the guards there knew that he was responsible for catching a lot of these criminals, that one of the prisoners they were processing was not only innocent but also on their side. He didn't recognize any of these correctional officers. None of them had worked with him through the CCPD before. He felt a small sense of relief when he finally saw at least one familiar face. Officer Gracie. He and Barry used to chat every now and then when Barry went to visit his father. Well, at least he knew _someone_.

Barry was forced to strip down to his boxers and then had to stand in line with the rest of the convicts to get a set of gray prison clothes. Looks like he would be trading his red Flash suit for a gray prison jumpsuit for the time being. He dressed quickly while being shouted at by guards and other prisoners to hurry up and to keep the line moving. Everyone seemed so hostile already, and he had only just gotten there.

Once he was dressed, he had to go through the rest of the processing. He was approached by a correctional officer holding a clipboard. The older man looked strangely familiar.

"Allen, Bartholomew," he said looking down at his clipboard and then back up at Barry with a scowl on his face, "We've met before."

"We have?" Barry asked, trying to remember.

"Yeah," he said angrily, "The last time I stopped by the CCPD. I was visiting my friends. Drew Henderson and Jeff Dilloshaw."

Barry's face fell.

"They were my friends, you son of a bitch," the officer spat, looking at Barry with disgust.

"I didn't kill them," Barry said quietly, "I'm so sorry about what happened. I promise you though, I'm not the one who killed them."

The guard held up his hand to silence him.

"I'm Officer Golding. I'm the CO for block C, which is where you will be staying while awaiting your court trial. Normally we don't put non-cons into gen pop, but I called in a few favors and specially requested that you be put in my block. You'll be seeing a lot of me."

"Can't wait," Barry said stiffly.

"You being a smartass?" Golding asked him furiously.

"No, sir," Barry said in a flat voice.

"You better not be," Golding warned, "Because I have the ability to make your life a living hell while you're here. Best keep your head down, Allen."

Barry nodded, his jaw set. He both hated the man and felt sorry for him. He was clearly the type to abuse his power in any way he could, but at the same time, Barry felt sympathy for him for having lost two of his friends. Really, Barry didn't blame the guy for hating him. He thought that he had murdered his friends in cold blood.

The cell block that Barry was assigned to must have had about eighty cells in it, twenty for each of the four floors it had. Each floor was made up by a circle of cells that all overlooked the small indoor courtyard-like area that was formed below. As Barry was lead through this area on the ground floor he looked up at the cells along the walls. All the cell doors were closed right now with the inmates in them. Some were simply sitting there in their cells, looking bored or playing cards to pass the time. Others were standing up against the bars, looking down at the incoming prisoners jeering and even catcalling at them.

Barry was finally led to the cell that he would be staying in on the second floor.

"Close 52," the officer who had brought him there shouted, and shortly after that the operated cell door closed with Barry inside. When the CO walked away, Barry turned to face his new cellmate. He was young, probably only slightly older than Barry. He had a buzz cut and tan skin that was covered with tattoos.

"Hey," Barry said nervously, "I guess I'm your new cellmate."

He reached out to shake the man's hand. The man gave him a small smile and took it.

"I'm Dex."

"Barry."

"Barry?" Dex said, letting go of his hand, "The hell kinda name is that?"

Barry just shrugged, setting his stuff down on the bottom bunk.

"You're not gonna get by in here with a name like Barry," Dex said surely, "What's that short for anyways?"

"Bartholomew," Barry answered with a blush.

"Oh hell no!" Dex said with a laugh, "That's even worse! They're gonna eat you alive."

"Well, maybe you can tell me how to avoid that," Barry said, laughing slightly.

"First time in the clink, huh?" Dex asked him.

"Is it that obvious?"

"No offense, dude, but you don't look like the criminal type," Dex told him with a surveying look, "What did you do anyways?"

"I didn't do anything," Barry said somewhat defensively, "I was framed. They think I shot and killed two cops."

"Damn," the other man said, giving him an uneasy look. Barry wasn't sure if Dex believed him or not, but he found that he didn't really care one way or another.

"So what are _you_ in here for?" Barry asked him to change the subject.

"Armed robbery," Dex said nonchalantly, "It was my third offense, so they gave me five years this time."

"Oh," Barry said uncomfortably, "Sorry to hear that."

"Don't worry about it," Dex said dismissively, "I've only got two years left, and then I'll be out again."

Dex gave Barry a curious look.

"You got a last name?" he asked. Barry swallowed.

"Allen," he answered.

"Hmm, rings a bell," Dex said thoughtfully, but he dismissed it quickly. "My last name's Redlinn."

The name sounded familiar to Barry, and it took him a while to remember where he had heard it. Dexter Redlinn. That was it. Barry had done the forensic work for his case. It wasn't a particularly memorable one. All Barry had to do was run a few fingerprint scans to prove that Dexter was the culprit. Now, Barry hoped against all hope that Dex wouldn't find out who he really is. The last thing he needed was a bunkmate who despised him.

"Hey," Dex said suddenly, "I just remembered where I've heard your name before."

Barry tensed, trying not to look too nervous but failing miserably when Dex took a step closer to him.

"You know any Henry's by chance?"

Barry let out a sigh of relief.

"Yeah," he answered, "He would be my dad."

"You're the Doc's son?" Dex asked with amusement, "Poor bastard."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Barry asked somewhat angrily, not sure if he was talking about him or his dad.

"Nothing," Dex said with a shrug, "Just saying, it must be hard being the son of a whack job who murdered his own wife."

Barry felt his face heat up with rage.

"My dad didn't kill my mother," he said angrily, "He's innocent."

"Woah," Dex said, taking a step back and putting his hands up. He had an amused smile on his face. "Cool your buns, bro. I didn't mean anything by it. If you think he's innocent, that's cool yo. Believe whatever the hell you want."

Barry settled down slightly at that.

"Where is my dad?" Barry asked him, "Is he in this cell block?"

"Yeah," Dex said, jumping up to sit on the top bunk, his legs dangling over the edge, "His cell is on the ground floor I think. The Doc keeps to himself most of the time."

Barry walked over to the look through the bars of his cell door, scanning the line of cells on the first floor that were visible to him from his cell. He didn't see his dad in any of them, but then again, he couldn't see all the way back into the cells, only the parts closest to the cell doors.

"When do we get to leave our cells?" Barry asked Dex anxiously.

"The cells are usually open this time of day. We're on lockdown right now," Dex told him.

"Lockdown?" Barry asked, "What for?"

"Some poor son of a bitch got himself shanked out in the yard this morning," Dex said nonchalantly. Barry paled slightly.

"Does that happen often?" he asked.

"Usually, no," Dex said, "Usually it's only a couple times a month, but lately it's been a weekly thing."

"Why is that?"

"Hell if I know," Dex said dismissively, "I just keep my head down and avoid getting caught up in it. All of the gangs are at war with each other right now. The yard has been a fuckin' killzone lately. If you're smart you'll stay outta it."

"Trust me," Barry muttered, "I'll try."

Even as Barry looked around the cell block at the cells that were visible to him, he could see the tension between all of the inmates. It was surprisingly loud in the cell block. The people in the cells all around him were talking, and some were even shouting back and forth at each other. Every now and then, Barry could see people reaching out of their cells to pass something to someone in the cell next to them. He didn't know what it was they were passing to each other, but it probably wasn't anything good. If you watched the room long enough, you could see how on edge everyone was and all of the shady dealings and exchanges that were going on right under the guards' noses. The tension in the air was almost palpable.

"Dude," Dex said, "We're not getting out of this cell till tomorrow morning now. You might as well relax."

Barry let go of the cell door bars that he hadn't even realized he had been gripping so tightly. With a sigh, he turned away from the door and leaned against the wall opposite from where his cellmate sat. He looked around the cell, taking it in. It was a typical six by eight foot cell complete with a small sink and toilet and a small bunk bed. As Barry looked at the bed, he just knew that his feet were going to be hanging over the edge. It was way too short for someone his height.

From his seat on the top bunk, Dex was watching Barry with amusement as he looked around the tiny shared space.

"You'll get use to it," he said with a wave of his hand, "Within a week or two, it'll start to feel like home to you."

"Somehow I doubt that," Barry muttered, wearily eying the too-small bed and the incredibly exposed toilet.

"Trust me," Dex said, "After spending some time out in the yard, this cell will become your sanctuary. A pretty boy like you, you'll be fruit ripe for the picking for the rest of these guys here. You're safest when you're behind that closed door."

"I think I'll be able to take care of myself," Barry said, sliding down the wall to sit on the dirty floor. He wrapped his arms around his knees with a sigh.

He was the Flash. He'll be fine. The Flash could handle a few days in prison. At least, he hoped this was only going to be for a few days. Then again, it's not like his powers will be of much use to him here. What good is running really fast when you're stuck inside a six by eight foot cell?

Barry knew he could probably phase right through the door if he wanted to. He had done it once before with the truck. He could escape any time he wanted to. The thought was both a comfort and a frustration to him. He knew he wouldn't be able to use his powers at all here. There were cameras everywhere, so to use them would be an unnecessary risk to take. He just hoped a situation that required his speed wouldn't come up during his time here.

…..

"I'm sorry, Joe, but I can't let you see him right now," Officer Florian told him.

"Why the hell not?!" Joe asked angrily.

"He's in the C Block, which is on lockdown right now. No one in that cellblock can see visitors at the moment."

"C Block?" Joe said with shock, "You mean in gen pop? What the hell are they thinking putting Barry in with the general population?! Are they nuts?"

"Hey," Officer Florian said holding his hands up in defense, "It wasn't my call. Take it up with Warden Pope."

"Oh, trust me. I will," Joe growled.

Singh had told him that he was going to put in a good word for Barry, that he was going to do everything he could to keep Barry out of gen pop where he would certainly be targeted because of his position at the CCPD. Someone must have pulled some serious strings with the warden to change that.

…..

Because of the lockdown, all of the inmates were given dinner in their cells that night. As soon as Barry got his tray of food, he knew this was going to be a problem. This wouldn't be nearly enough to sustain somebody with his caloric requirements. Even if he wasn't running, he still burned an excessive amount of calories on a day to day basis. He would have to figure something out, or he was going to slowly starve.

The food was lousy, but Barry ate every bite of it, trying to take in every calorie he could. A couple hours later, the guards did a quick round of checks to make sure everyone was in their cells, and then it was lights out.

Dex was snoring within minutes, but Barry laid awake in his bed, staring at the bottom of Dex's mattress above him. Like he had thought, his feet hung off the edge of the bed, and Barry had to bend his knees just to stay comfortable. Dex's loud snoring and all the noise that the other awake prisoners were still making made it hard for him to sleep. If it weren't for the fact that Barry hadn't gotten any sleep the night before, he probably wouldn't have slept at all. Exhaustion won over though, and after an hour or two of laying there on his lumpy mattress, Barry was finally able to fall into an uneasy sleep. He tried to get as much rest as possible so he could keep his energy up. It looked like he was going to need it.


	4. Catcalls and Whistles

**Catcalls and Whistles**

Barry slept like shit. That was really the only way to put it. It seemed like the prison was never quiet, not even in the middle of the night. Dex told him that he would get used to it, but Barry found that hard to believe. He had always been a light sleeper, and something told him that by the time he got out of here, he was going to be very sleep deprived.

They were all woken up at 5:30 in the morning for breakfast. The cell doors were finally opened, and Barry followed Dex along with everyone else to a cafeteria-like area. It was huge. It was conjoined with another cellblock so that the two sections shared the same eating space. After finally getting a tray of food, Barry walked quickly yet cautiously through the cafeteria, looking around for his dad.

He ignored the looks that the other inmates were giving him. Some looked at him with a mild innocent curiosity. Many looked like they were sizing him up, as if they were determining if he was a threat or not or maybe how easy it would be for them to push him around. Barry felt like a little kid who was about to have his lunch money taken from him. The worst looks though, were the menacing smirks that some prisoners shot his way, looking him up and down like he was something to eat. Barry blushed but tried to seem unaffected when a few catcalls and whistles were thrown his way when he walked by.

Finally, he spotted him. His dad was sitting next to another older gentleman at a table near the corner of the room. When he looked up and saw Barry standing there across the room, he looked shocked to say the least. His jaw dropped in confusion to see his son suddenly standing there, holding a tray and wearing the same gray prison uniform as everyone else. Barry smiled nervously at him and started to make his way over to where he sat.

Barry's path was blocked suddenly, however, when a much larger man stepped in front of him, stopping his progression. Without hesitation, the man forcefully slammed his hand down onto Barry's tray, smacking it right out his hands and onto the floor. Barry stepped back in shock as all of his food littered the ground.

"Well, if it isn't Barry Allen," the man said with a sneer, "Son of a snitch. Foster son of a cop. Works for the CCPD, right?"

Barry didn't answer. He simply glared at the man before trying to step around him, intending to abandon his tray of food that was now all over the floor. The man put an arm out to stop him and shoved him roughly back. His three buddies standing next to him laughed.

"Where do you think you're going, cop?" he asked tauntingly, "I'm not finished with you yet."

And so it begins. His first full day in prison, and he's already making friends.

"Well, I _am_ finished," Barry said stiffly. He moved forward to brush past them only to be stopped again, a little more roughly this time as the man shoved him back.

"Ooh, we got ourselves a feisty one here, fellas!" the man said jeeringly. His pals all laughed behind him.

"Looks like he's asking for a beating," one of them said with a laugh.

"I don't know," another one said with a sneer, revealing his ugly yellow teeth, "Wouldn't want to wreck that beautiful face. He looks like your type, Tito."

"He's got a mouth on him, this one, but who could say no to face like that?" the bald man said, licking his lips and stepping closer to Barry, "I might just have to make him my new bitch."

Barry's cheeks flushed indignantly, but he didn't back away when the muscular man took another step closer to him. Barry looked to the side of him to see that his dad was now making his way over to them with a concerned look on his face. He stopped him with a quick shake of his head. Henry stopped about halfway, painfully watching the scene in front of him wondering if he should ignore Barry and come over anyways.

"What do ya say, kid?" the bald man, Tito, asked him, "Wanna be my new whore?"

They were now only a few inches from each other. The other man was a lot bigger than Barry, but thankfully Barry was tall, so it wasn't like the guy was towering over him. Still, his size was intimidating.

"No, thank you," Barry said stiffly, glaring at the man.

Tito sneered at him and tauntingly rubbed his hand along Barry's shoulder. Barry roughly pushed it off of him instantly. Before Barry could react, a fist was suddenly being thrown right into his stomach. As he bent over in shock, the man brought his knee up to Barry's face, making contact with his nose. As much as he wanted to drop to the floor after that, Barry forced himself to stand up straight again, blood now pouring out of his nose.

He swung out at the other man, his fist making solid contact with the guy's jaw. Tito staggered back in shock. He hadn't really expected the kid to hit back. He didn't look much like the fighting type. Barry kept his fists raised, ready this time for them to come at him again. Before the four other men could move in on him though, a voice rang out.

"Hey! What's going on here?"

Officer Gracie, the officer that Barry knew from all of his visits to the prison, was now approaching them.

"Break it up, guys," he said firmly. The other men barely even looked at him. They all were glaring at Barry, fists clenched now that they were really itching for a fight. Before it had all just been for a laugh. Now it was personal.

"I mean it, Tito," Officer Gracie said loudly, "You and your buddies better walk away now."

Tito shot an irritated look at the officer before returning his eyes to Barry.

"This isn't over, Allen," he said dangerously before turning and walking away.

"You okay there, Barry?" Officer Gracie asked him once they were gone.

"I'm fine," Barry said wiping his bloody nose on the back of his hand, "Thanks, Jim."

"No problem," he said, "I told Joe I'd try to keep you out of trouble, but it looks like you're asking for it. Not even here a full day, and you're already picking fights."

"Hey, they started it, not me!" Barry said defensively.

"Yes, but you hit him back," Officer Gracie said gently, "No one does that. That's kind of the opposite of keeping your head down around here."

"Well, what was I supposed to do?" Barry asked, "Just go to the ground and let them kick the shit out of me?"

"Yes," the officer said, "At least then it would have been over. Now, you've got them itching for a serious fight, and I'm not always going to be around to break it up."

"I can take care of myself then," Barry said, "I'll be fine."

Ignoring Officer Gracie's doubtful expression that he was giving him, Barry looked over to see his dad coming towards him again now that the thugs had left. Barry held up a hand to stop him again. Tito and his buddies were all still glaring at him from where they now sat in the cafeteria, and Barry didn't want them to see his dad with him. He didn't want his dad to be targeted because of this. This was his fight to have. With an exasperated look, his dad stopped again and turned around to walk back to his table to wait for Barry.

"Try to be smart, Barry," Officer Gracie said to him, "You don't want to get mixed up in the gang politics around here. You have to try harder to stay out of trouble."

"Okay, I hear you," Barry said sincerely, "Thanks, Jim."

"Anytime," the guard said before walking away. Barry glanced once more at Tito's table, and then he finally made his way over to where his dad sat.

"Barry," his dad said, standing up when he reached the table, "What the hell are you doing here?"

"It's a long story," Barry said, hugging his dad, something that he hadn't been able to do since he was a kid. Henry hugged him back just as tightly.

"You're bleeding," he said worriedly when they broke apart.

"I'm good," Barry said as he sat down at the table, "I've had worse."

As his dad sat next to him, Barry grabbed a napkin and wiped the remaining blood from his face. His father waited patiently until he was finished before he questioned him again.

"So about this long story…" he started.

"It's complicated," Barry told him before launching into his explanation, "I was out on a call trying to track down this metahuman who can change into any person he wants to. Just when we thought we finally had him, everything went wrong. He shot and killed two of our cops."

Henry nodded sadly.

"Yeah, I overheard something about two cops getting killed a few days ago. How does that lead to you getting arrested though?" he asked confusedly. Barry shifted in his chair and looked down at the table.

"In the video of Bates killing the cops, he may have…looked like me."

Henry's eyes widened.

"He took on your appearance while he was murdering two police officers?!"

Barry nodded sadly. Henry pressed his hand to his mouth in horror.

"Son, I'm—I'm so sorry," he said placing a hand on Barry's shoulder. He knew all too well what Barry was going through right now.

"Joe and Eddie are working on getting me out of this," Barry said confidently. Actually, he hadn't even gotten a chance to really talk to either of them yet, but he knew they would do everything they could to help him, "I'm not officially convicted for anything yet. There's still time to fight this."

"I hope you're right, son," Henry said, tears welling in his eyes, "This isn't the life I wanted for you."

"I'll be fine, dad," Barry assured him, wiping his still bleeding nose on a napkin.

"Yeah, I can see that," Henry said, looking at the bloody tissue, "Please be careful in here, Barry."

"Hey, I'm the Flash," Barry whispered to him with a half-smile, "What's the worst that can happen?"

"Speaking of the Flash," Henry said in a low whisper, "Don't your powers require you to eat ungodly amounts of food?"

Barry nodded slowly as he and his father shared a look of understanding. This was going to be a problem.

"Here, son," Henry said urgently, pushing his half eaten breakfast tray towards Barry.

"I'm fine, dad," Barry insisted, shaking his head, "I'm not going to take any of your food."

"Barry, please," Henry said, "I'm not going to let you go hungry in here. Just eat it. Please."

Barry looked at the food mournfully. His stomach clenched painfully just at the sight of it. He was already starting to feel the dull ache of speedforce-induced hunger gnawing at him. That thug, Tito, didn't even realize how much anguish he had caused by simply smacking Barry's tray out of his hands. For Barry, going through this day without breakfast would hurt worse than the punch.

"I'll just have some toast," Barry said reasonably, reaching towards his father's breakfast tray to grab a slice of toast. Even doing just that made him feel guilty, as did his father's dissatisfied look of disapproval.

…..

"You can't visit him at the moment, sir," one of the guards told him, "The investigation is still pending, and we have orders not to allow him visitors until his questioning is complete."

"He's already been questioned!" Joe said exasperatedly, "He's already given several statements about that night. How many more interrogations are you going to put him through?"

"I'm just following orders," the guard said, "We don't normally have non-cons here at Iron Heights. Until his court trial, he's still considered simply under police custody since he's not officially convicted of anything. It means he's subjectable to as many interrogations as deemed necessary."

"That still doesn't explain why I can't see him," Joe said angrily.

"Right now, the only detectives permitted to see Mr. Allen are those directly involved in the investigation," the CO said stubbornly.

"I'm not just a detective!" Joe said, "I'm his foster father! I have every right to see my son!"

"Like I already said, I don't make the rules."

…..

Barry's dad showed him around the prison that morning. After breakfast they visited the yard where Barry quickly noticed the segregation between the different gangs in the place was much more pronounced. It didn't escape his notice that race seemed to play a huge role in how these groups were formed.

Barry also couldn't help but notice the way everyone seemed to look at him as he walked through the yard. He tried to keep his head down and not interact with anyone, but he could sense all their eyes on him. He wondered if maybe they recognized him, but that seemed unlikely. It's not like he was all that well known for his position as a CSI. He spent most of his time in his lab rather than out in the field, and very rarely did he ever have to testify in court as a forensic consultant.

A few men catcalled and whistled at him. One of them called him 'pretty boy' and most of them looked at him looked at him like he was fresh meat or something. As they complimented his ass or his pretty green eyes when he walked by, Barry had to hold back a blush. Most of the comments just made him feel sick. It made Barry shudder as he thought about what some of them were threatening to do to him. He had never been so grateful for superpowers before. It at least made him feel like he had some protection if anything actually happened.

If Barry thought the looks that the prisoners were giving him were bad, the guards were even worse. The few who knew him were decent, but most of them looked at him like he was the scum of the earth. A traitor. He had killed two of their own, and that was worse than anything these other criminals surrounding him may have done.

Yard time lasted just about the majority of the day. Many of the cons from his block stayed outside, enjoying the sun and the fresh air. Plenty of others stayed inside, in the cell block where all of the cell doors were open and they looked for things to occupy themselves to pass the time.

Barry's dad also showed him to the lounge, which was a fairly decent sized room that had a couple old, shitty TVs and lumpy couches. Barry hadn't thought prison would have TV, but apparently it did. As they walked through the lounge, he glanced at one of the TVs and froze where he stood.

Footage of his own face stared back at him, and although he couldn't hear what the reporter was saying, the caption on the screen said it all.

 _Central City CSI Accused of Murdering Two Officers_

Barry felt the blood drain from his face as he stared at the screen. He hadn't expected it to be in the media yet. Sure, the media had already ran the story of the two cops being murdered, but Barry hadn't expected his name to be released this soon. He had only just gotten charged with the double homicide a day ago.

Everyone would know now. Everyone in Central City would think he had done this. They would all hate him. Everyone in the prison would soon know about him now too. They wouldn't care so much about the cops he supposedly killed, but he was sure they'd find it interesting that he had worked for the CCPD, whether he was a supposed traitor or not.

"Come on, son," his dad said lightly, pulling on his arm, "You don't have to watch that."

He knew exactly what Barry was going through. He knew how tempting it was to find out what the media was saying about you in a time like this, but he also knew that it would only hurt Barry to watch it. Adjusting to life in prison was nothing compared to the shame and embarrassment that came with everyone thinking you had done something so terrible. If anyone understood that, it was Henry. The only thing that had helped him through it then had been Barry. Having someone who loved him and believed in him was everything. Having Barry there as an anchor had saved him, and that's what Henry was going to be for his son now. He was going to be his anchor.

After lunch, Barry was approached by two CO's he hadn't seen yet. They said very little to him as they looked at him with distaste. In as few words as possible, they told him that he was needed for questioning and they were there to take him to the specified room for interrogations. Barry went with them without protest. He had nothing to worry about. He was innocent. All he had to do was tell the truth, and he would be fine.

He knew what they were trying to do. They were trying to get him to slip up. He had seen enough interrogations in person to know what tactics were commonly used. They were looking for twitches, any tells that might indicate he was being less than honest. They were asking him the same questions over again on purpose, backtracking to throw him off, looking for any changes or holes in his story. Barry knew that remaining calm was key to getting through it successfully. It also helped that he was innocent and that he had nothing to hide.

Well, that wasn't necessarily true. He had quite a bit to hide when it came to his identity, but he didn't have much of a problem with that. He had only used his speed briefly that night, and in every way he thought about it, it didn't affect his story or the case in any way. His powers aside, Barry could be completely honest with the detective who were trying so hard to make him crack.

After three very long hours of being relentlessly interrogated, Barry was led back to his cell block just in time for dinner. He was extremely thankful that he made it in time because after his pitiful breakfast, Barry needed every calorie he could get. He was already feeling dizzy from the lack of food. His father offered him part of his dinner, but Barry politely refused. He assured him that he would be fine and could get by with the portions he had been given. He knew this wasn't really true, knew that if this continued for an extended period of time, it would eventually catch up to him. Even though he couldn't use his powers, they were still a reassuring safety net for him, and he knew they would diminish and eventually go away if he was malnourished for too long.

After dinner, all the inmates were led to the showers, whether they wanted to be or not. Barry was assigned to the same locker room and shower block as his father, something he was somewhat grateful for despite the awkwardness of it. His dad assured him that he would eventually get used to it, but Barry wasn't so sure about that. His father didn't have the same problem that he did with other inmates looking him up and down like he was something to eat. It was like they were constantly molesting him with their eyes, and now Barry would have to be naked in front of them.

Barry stood in the corner of the shower, a few feet away from his dad. He tried not to look at anyone and to just be in and out as soon as possible. He could feel all their eyes on him, but thankfully nobody bothered him too much. A couple disgusting and demeaning comments were thrown Barry's way that made Barry's stomach churn, but thankfully nobody came near him or attempted to touch him or anything. Still, it wasn't an experience he was looking forward to going through every single day.

Every night, just before the cell doors were closed for the evening, inmates were told to line up, standing outside their individual cells so that the COs could make sure everyone was accounted for. Barry looked around as he stood next to Dex outside their cell. He wanted to know where everyone was in their cellblock. Dex had been right about his father being on the ground floor. He spotted him standing there next to his cellmate on the ground level, just across the courtyard from him. He must have just been too far back in his cell for Barry to see him before when he had been looking for him.

He spotted Tito just across the way from him, on the same second floor that he was on. Tito was staring at him, a small, menacing smile occupying his lips. Barry didn't like the look he was giving him at all. Barry turned around and went back into his cell with Dex when they were told to. With a loud clatter of metal, all of the inmate cell doors slid shut at once. Barry stopped himself from flinching at the sound. He hated how he felt when that door was closed. It made him lose any sense of freedom he had managed to retain.

Barry sincerely hoped that sleep would come easier to him the second night around. He had survived his first day in prison. So far he had been glared at by prisoners and guards alike. He had been catcalled and whistled at. He had had his food taken from him, been interrogated for hours, and had even been in a small fight, through which he seemed to have made himself an enemy already. One day down. An unknown number of days to go.


	5. Chin Check

**Chin Check**

It didn't take long for the other prisoners to catch wind of who Barry was and what he did for a living. To say Barry was disliked by the other inmates would be somewhat of an understatement. They all _hated_ him. Even Dex gave him the cold shoulder now. Barry was just thankful that his cellmate wasn't more aggressive. A lot of these other guys would have beat the shit out of him by now if they had known he had something to do with their conviction.

Barry was relieved when he was approached by a guard who told him he had a visitor. It was what he had been waiting for. He was somewhat hurt that it had taken any of them this long to come see him, but he figured it had to be because they were all busy working on a way to free him.

Barry felt that the handcuffs were a bit unnecessary. They had never kept handcuffs on his dad when he was visiting with him. He figured it was just the guards' way of trying to get to him. He was hated by most of the officers here just as much as the inmates.

Joe waited anxiously for them to lead Barry into the visitation area. He had tried to set up a private meeting at a table in one of the interrogation rooms, but he had been denied. If he wanted to see Barry, it would be through a pane of glass, with telephones being the only way they could hear each other. The whole thing just felt so wrong. Had it always felt this hard for Barry every time he went to see his dad?

When Barry finally came into view and smiled widely at him, Joe tried to smile back, but all he could manage was a slight twitch of his lips as he took in Barry's handcuffs and gray prison uniform. It was a sight that would take some getting used to.

He picked up the phone next to him as Barry picked up his.

"How are you doing, Bar?" Joe asked, pressing the phone to his ear. Barry smiled at him and shrugged.

"Fine," he said, "Prison isn't all that bad actually."

Joe sighed. He knew Barry was going to do this. He was going to act like everything was fine and downplay everything that was going on for Joe's sake.

"Really, Bar," Joe said sternly, "How are you?"

"I'm fine, Joe. Really," Barry insisted, "It's not that bad in here."

To Joe's surprise, Barry suddenly grinned then. It didn't look forced either. Barry was actually smiling.

"And I get to spend time with my dad," he said happily.

"Barry…"

"I know the circumstances are shitty," Barry added quickly, "but at least there's a bright side to all this."

Joe nodded slowly, giving Barry a small smile. Of course Barry would stay positive and optimistic through everything. That's how he always was.

"So what's going on out there?" Barry asked, suddenly serious, "Are you guys any closer to finding Bates? Has anything new happened?"

Joe sighed.

"We've been trying to track him down. We've also been arguing your case with the DA. It…it doesn't look good, Bar," Joe said quietly.

Barry nodded thoughtfully and then sighed.

"How is Iris taking all of this?" he asked.

"She's a mess," Joe answered, "She's worried about you being in here. I wasn't going to tell her that they ended up putting you in gen pop, but Eddie accidentally let it slip somehow. She's been hysterical ever since."

"She doesn't have to worry," Barry said, frowning, "I can take care of myself."

"I know you can, Bar," Joe said, "But Iris doesn't know that. She thinks you're going to be eaten alive in here."

A small, humorless smile appeared on Barry's face at that.

"Does she really think I'm that hopeless?" he said with a small laugh.

"No offense, but you're not exactly the prison type, Barry," Joe said, "And Iris doesn't know about your powers. She's really worried about you being in here."

"Well, tell her not to worry," Barry insisted, "Tell her she's got nothing to worry about and that I've been getting along really well with everyone here."

"Is that true?" Joe asked Barry with a surveying look. Barry shifted awkwardly in his seat.

"Well, not exactly," he said honestly, "I'm not the most popular person in gen pop right now."

"Try to keep your head down, Bar," Joe told him in a worried voice, "Try not to make too many enemies."

Barry cleared his throat awkwardly, and Joe could tell there was something he wasn't telling him.

"What is it, Bar?" Joe asked, "You haven't been making enemies in here, have you?"

"I may have gotten into a small fight," Barry admitted.

Joe stared at him for a moment.

"Define small."

"It was hardly even a fight," Barry assured him quickly, "Officer Gracie broke it up before it could really turn into anything."

"Remind me to thank him," Joe muttered absently before asking, "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine, Joe," Barry said, refraining from rolling his eyes at his foster dad's unnecessary concern, "I can handle a couple prison thugs."

Joe looked like he was going to press the issue further, but Barry stopped him by changing the subject.

"So, what did you and Cisco find in Starling?" he asked, "Did you find anything else out about Wells?"

Joe felt his stomach clench. How could he tell Barry? How could he tell him that they had discovered the body of the real Dr. Wells in Starling? That the Wells that they had known this entire time had now disappeared, and that they had no idea where he was, _who_ he was, or what he was planning.

"Nope," Joe said, "Didn't find a thing."

Joe's fist tightened under the table. He felt terrible for lying to Barry, for not telling him what was really going on, but he was convinced it was for the best. Barry had enough on his plate right now without worrying about his mother's potential killer being out there on the loose.

"Really?" Barry said, "Because when I first called you to let you know I was in trouble, you sounded like you had found something."

Joe sighed.

"It was just another dead end."

Barry looked disappointed, but at least he seemed to believe him.

"Okay, well, keep looking then," he said determinedly, "I'm sure there's something for us to dig up, something that we've missed. In the meantime, be careful. I don't want Wells to catch onto us, and I really don't like the idea that I'm locked up in here, and he's out there with you guys."

Joe swallowed back the lump of guilt in his throat and nodded.

"Okay," he said, "We'll be careful, and we'll let you know if we find anything. Right now, we're more focused on finding Bates though."

Barry sighed.

"Thanks," he said, "I wish I wasn't in this mess. Really, I'd much rather we be focusing on the man in yellow right now and on getting my dad out of here, not myself. I'll be fine spending some more time in here, but my dad's been here for _fourteen years_. I don't want him to spend a second longer in here than he has to."

Joe nodded.

"Don't worry, Bar," he assured him, "In no time at all, we'll have you _both_ out of there. In the meantime, just try to stay out of trouble, alright?"

"Sure," Barry said, "I'll keep my head down. I promise."

Joe looked like he wanted to say something else, but they were interrupted then by one of the guards.

"Times up," he said stiffly.

"Already?!" Joe asked incredulously, "We barely got ten minutes!"

"It's because there are other visitors here," Barry said knowingly as he stood up, phone still in hand, "You have to come during a visitation time that's not too busy. I have the times written down somewhere on a post it on my desk from when I visit my dad."

"Okay, I'll look at it," Joe said, "You take care, okay? Be careful, Barry."

"I will be," Barry said, "I promise."

That promise didn't last very long though. Later that week, Barry was finally cornered in the yard by Tito and his crew. Really, it was only a matter of time before they faced off, and Barry wasn't at all surprised when they approached him. They strutted right up to where Barry and his dad were standing and surrounded the pair.

"Get out of here," Barry whispered to his dad.

"No," Henry said firmly, but after a serious look from Barry and a slight push from him, Henry reluctantly moved away, passing by the men who were circling around them. They didn't try to stop him. They didn't care about the old man, only the little shit who had had the nerve to hit Tito back the other day.

"What do you want?" Barry asked them angrily. Tito sneered at Barry.

"I want those pretty lips of your wrapped around my—"

"Finish that sentence, and I'll be swinging my pretty fists in you damn face," Barry growled.

The men all laughed, Tito right along with them.

"You're not exactly in any position to be making threats, Allen," Tito smirked, "It's four against one, and you're no MMA fighter, kid."

"Yeah, well your face says otherwise," Barry replied, a smug smile on his lips as he looked at the large bruise he had left on Tito's face. It was almost a week old, but it was still visible, the bruise yellowing with age.

"How's the jaw feeling?" Barry asked smugly.

Tito growled and cracked his knuckles.

"About as well as you're entire body's going to be feeling when we're through with you," he said angrily.

With that, one of the men suddenly lunged at Barry. It was true that Barry wasn't all that strong, but who needed strength when you had speed? Barry ducked and dodged the first guy easily, kicking his knee out from behind him once he had passed him. The man yelled out in pain and crumpled onto the ground, clutching his leg desperately.

As Tito, himself, then came at him, Barry was able to quickly hook his arm around the Tito's head and used the man's own momentum to drive his face down to meet Barry's knee. Barry heard the crunching sound of the Tito's nose breaking with satisfaction, and it was clear that he was out for the count as he sank to the ground, blood flowing through his fingers where his hands were pressed over his face.

It wasn't over though. Even with their leader on the ground, Tito's two remaining buddies continued to come at Barry. When Barry felt someone wrap their arm around his neck from behind to put him in a chokehold, he reached up and grabbed the guy's arm, but his grip was too strong and Barry couldn't break free. The other remaining man came forward then and started driving his fists into Barry's face. Barry saw stars as the man hit him repeatedly. He had to fight just to remain conscious, and his stomach churned when blood started spewing from his nose down his face and into his mouth.

The man then switched to hitting Barry in the stomach instead. Barry felt a few of his ribs crack with some of the blows, but he tried to block out the pain as he thought of a way out of this. He could faintly hear his father's voice calling out to the guards for help in the background. Even though his body's instincts were telling him to curl into himself from the pain, Barry did the opposite. Instead, he leaned backwards, arching his back so that he was pressing up against the guy behind him, allowing him to swing his legs up at the guy in front of him.

With a desperate, wild kick of his leg, Barry felt his foot make contact with his attacker's jaw. The man howled in pain, and stumbled backwards, reaching up to touch his face. Barry's vision was just starting to blur from being choked, but he was still able to see the blood spewing from the man's mouth. Barry had kicked the man's jaw so forcefully that he had bit his tongue, and it was now bleeding profusely, having been partially severed. Barry was only able to bask in the small triumph for a moment though because he was now starting to feel dizzy from the lack of oxygen he was getting with the other man's arm around his neck.

His speed would only be useful for escaping the man's hold if he could vibrate loose from it, but Barry didn't think he'd be able to do that without also giving away his identity. He couldn't use his speed for this. Thankfully though, Barry didn't need any physical advantages to get out of it. All he needed was his brain and his extensive knowledge of the human body.

Barry threw a sharp elbow behind him into the man's gut to catch him off guard before reaching up for the guy's wrist. Barry knew exactly where to press on the man's wrist to suppress the nerves in his hand and maybe (hopefully) even cause a little bit of permanent nerve damage. Sure enough, the guy's grip loosened, although his arm still remained around Barry's neck. Remembering the little bit of self-defense that Joe had taught him, Barry angled the guy's wrist forward until he heard the man gasp in pain. It was a very simple maneuver often used by police officer's. It was highly effective and required very little force.

Once the man's hold had loosened enough, Barry stepped to the side and ducked down, tilting his head to slip free from the man's grasp, while also maintaining his hold of the man's arm. As Barry straightened up, gasping for air to catch his breath, he twisted the guy's arm behind his back, applying probably a little more pressure than what was really necessary to subdue him, but hey, Barry was pissed. His face was probably swollen all to hell now, and judging from the sharp pain in his side every time he took a breath, he had more than a few broken ribs. He didn't feel too bad about applying a little extra force to the asshole's arm.

The guy in Barry's grasp went down to the ground with very little resistance, probably due to the fact that Barry was on the verge of breaking his wrist. Barry knelt down with him forcing the guy to lay on his stomach as he pressed his knee into his back, maintaining the painful pressure on the thug's wrist to keep him subdued. Of course, that was when the guards finally decided to show up and intervene. Barry wouldn't have even been surprised if they had purposely waited this long to finally come help him.

"I've got him," Barry assured one of the approaching guards, "It's okay. I've got him under control."

Barry was completely taken off guard when one of the officers suddenly tackled him off the guy and onto the ground.

"The fuck?!" Barry yelled out when he suddenly found himself in a similar position to the one he had just been holding his attacker in. The guard ignored him though as he twisted Barry's arm painfully and held him down. The pressure from the guard's knee on his back caused Barry to gasp in pain when his broken ribs were compressed on the ground.

" _They_ attacked _me_!" Barry gritted out through all the pain he was in, "What are you doing?!"

"He didn't do anything wrong!" Barry could hear his father shouting, "It was self-defense! They started it!"

"We don't care who started it," he heard a familiar voice say. It was CO Golding, the correctional officer who had had it out for Barry since he had first gotten there.

"Fighting in the yard is prohibited. It doesn't matter who threw the first punch, and by the looks of it, Mr. Allen has thrown his fair share of punches," he said, looking at the other four men scattered on the ground. One was clutching his leg, another, his wrist, and the other two both had serious facial injuries that were bleeding profusely.

"Take these men to the infirmary to get looked at," he ordered a few of the other guards, "Mr. Allen can come with me."

"My son is hurt too," Henry said angrily from a few feet away. He hadn't gone to the guards for help just so they could tackle his son to the ground and then fail to give him proper medical attention.

"I'm good, dad," Barry choked out from where he was on the ground, "I don't need to get looked at."

The last thing Barry needed was some prison doctor examining him. His superhealing would take care of it anyways. Thankfully, his father seemed to catch on fast because he didn't further press the issue as he watched them lift Barry to his feet and lead him out of the yard.

It was a full hour and a half before Henry saw Barry again. He had decided to wait for him back in his own cell, figuring that's where Barry would probably look for him first. When his son finally returned back to the cell block, Henry's stomach churned when he saw Barry's face. He looked like hell.

"Are you alright?" he asked Barry, leading him over to sit on his bed. Thankfully Henry's cell mate wasn't in there right now, so they had the space to themselves for the time being.

"I'm fine," Barry assured him, sitting on the bed, "Since it was my first offense, the warden let me off with a warning. I convinced them to not look me over. I had to sign a few waivers, but I was able to avoid having a doctor poking and prodding at me."

"Not quite," Henry said, gently placing a hand on Barry face to angle it towards him for a better look, "You still have to deal with me."

"It's fine, dad," Barry insisted, turning his head away from his overly concerned father.

"Just let me see," Henry said sternly, and Barry reluctantly turned back to face his father so he could get a better look. Henry's stomach clenched in anger and disgust when he saw how marked up his son's face was. His lip was split, and his left eye was swollen shut. The bruising was just starting to show, and Henry could see dark circles forming under Barry's eyes. A large cut above his eyebrow was still bleeding sluggishly.

"Jesus, Barry."

"It'll heal within an hour," Barry said dismissively.

"You're lucky they didn't break your nose," Henry said, gently wiping some of the dried blood from Barry's face with a dampened tissue.

"Do you think I broke Tito's?" Barry asked, a slightly smug smile on his face. His father huffed at him.

"I heard that you _did_ break it," he told Barry, "I also heard that two of the other guys had to go to the hospital. One of them nearly bled out from his severed tongue, and the other might need surgery on his knee."

Barry raised his eyebrows, somewhat surprised. He didn't think he had caused that much damage, but he couldn't exactly say that he was sorry that he had. He didn't consider himself a violent person, but he also wasn't going to feel all that guilty for beating up a bunch of thugs who had been trying to attack him.

"Do you want me to say I'm sorry?" Barry asked his dad defensively, "Because I'm not."

"I'm not either," Henry said to him, "I'm just surprised."

Barry looked down then, feeling slightly ashamed. He wasn't sorry for hurting Tito and his asshole friends, but he was sorry that his father had had to see it. It was a side of him that his father had never seen before.

He was surprised though when his dad suddenly let out a light laugh. Barry looked up in surprise.

"You're really living up to your nickname now, Slugger," his dad said with a hint of pride in his voice.

He smiled at his son, and then Barry couldn't help it. He smiled right back.

…..

"Are you sure we can trust her, dad?" Iris asked, "I've looked her up. She's really young and doesn't have that much experience. I'm sure we could find a better lawyer, one that lives a little closer to Central too."

"Ms. Lance is a friend of Barry's," Joe told her.

"Oh?" Iris said, raising her eyebrows, "I've never heard of her before."

"Barry supposedly met her the last time he was visiting his friends in Starling," Joe said, "I just met her during my last trip there, and she seemed like a really nice girl. She seemed trustworthy."

"I just want to make sure we get the best lawyer possible for Barry," Iris said determinedly, "We can't let this happen to him, especially after everything with his dad. Barry doesn't deserve this."

"I know, baby," Joe said sadly, "We're going to get him out."

"How was he when you saw him on Monday?" she asked, "Did he look like he was doing okay?"

"Barry's doing fine," Joe assured her for what must have been the hundredth time, "He's keeping a surprisingly positive attitude about the whole thing. I think he's actually kind of happy to be spending some time with his dad."

"That's the most twisted father-son time I've ever heard of," Iris said, frowning, "But I'm sure you're right. I'm sure Barry's loving that part of it. At least there's one bright side to all of this."

Iris sighed heavily.

"I'm just so worried about him," she said, "I'm sure he's scared. He knows that we're doing everything we can to get him out though, right?"

"I told him," Joe assured her, "Barry knows that we're trying. Eddie and I have been trying to track down Bates. We have Barry's friends at STAR Labs helping us too."

"That's good," Iris said, feeling slightly relieved, "I've been trying to keep the CCPN from running all of those stories about Barry, but they're not really listening to me since I'm only an intern. I hope Barry hasn't seen any of it. It would only make him feel worse."

"This will blow over," Joe assured her, "We'll prove that he's innocent and clear Barry's name. You'll see."

"Yeah, but even if he's proven innocent, it's all still out there," Iris said sadly, "It's probably going to follow him for the rest of his life."

Joe nodded sadly.

"For now, let's just focus on getting Barry out," he said quietly.

"Can we go see him?" Iris asked him, "I know you said he was doing okay, but I want to see him for myself. When can we go visit him?"

Joe sighed.

"I suppose we can go today," he said, "I'm meeting with Ms. Lance at four, but we have time before that to stop in and see him. I suppose you've been waiting long enough."

"No kidding," Iris muttered.

She hadn't gotten to see Barry yet because he had only been permitted one visitor during his first week in Iron Heights due to the pending investigation. They had finally just told Joe this morning that Barry would be allowed more visitors now.

Checking into the visitation area at Iron Heights took a while. Iris had never visited anyone in prison before. Barry had been doing it for over half of his life, but she had never done it before. As she went through the process of getting her visitation badge and walked through the gloomy halls with her father towards the visiting area, Iris wondered how Barry always did this every week. This place was downright depressing.

She and her dad both sat down in two chairs that were placed side by side in front of the glass window. There was only one telephone, so they were going to have to share it if they both wanted to talk to Barry when he came out. They waited there for a good ten minutes or so before the guard who had went to get Barry finally returned. They were confused to see that Barry wasn't with him.

"Sorry," the guard said, coming up to them, "Mr. Allen declined your visitation session."

"What?" Iris asked, not understanding what the guard meant. Barry didn't want to see them?

"Why would Barry do that?" Joe asked, a hint of worry in his voice, "Did he give a reason?"

"He said now wasn't a good time," the officer said vaguely, "He didn't really give any other reason though."

Joe frowned, and he and Iris looked at each other, both sharing the same concerned look. Joe turned back to the guard.

"Tell him it's important," Joe said, "Tell him it's regarding his case."

The guard nodded and walked away again, looking somewhat annoyed.

"Why would Barry refuse to see us?" Iris asked her dad, her voice punctuated with worry and a little hurt.

"I don't know," Joe said, just as confused as she was, "He must have a reason though."

Joe and Iris saw that reason pretty quickly when Barry was led out to the visitation area a few minutes later. Iris gasped when she saw his face. He looked like someone had taken a sledgehammer to it. Well, maybe not that grotesque, but his face still looked awful. He had a deep gash over his left eyebrow and his bottom lip was split open. The bruises forming along his jaw and under his eyes looked extremely painful, and the swelling made him almost unrecognizable. At a first glance, she wouldn't have thought it was Barry.

When Barry sat down across from them and picked up the phone his side of the glass, Iris quickly grabbed the phone on her side and pressed it to her ear.

"Oh my God! Your face!" she cried into the phone, "Barry, your face!"

"This was why I wasn't going to see you guys," Barry said calmly, "I knew you'd overreact."

"Overreact?!" Iris said incredulously, "Barry, you look like you got mugged!"

"I'm fine," Barry sighed, "I just got in a little spiff with some guys this morning. It wasn't a big deal."

"A little spiff!?" Iris said. She knew this was going to happen. Barry was too gentle for prison life. She knew he was going to get targeted by other inmates. She just knew it.

"You got in another fight, Barry?" Joe asked him, leaning awkwardly in his chair to share the phone with Iris.

"What do you mean 'another fight'?" Iris asked her father, "You never mentioned that he got in a fight."

"Guys, calm down," Barry said in an exasperated voice, "You don't have to make a big deal out of it."

"Barry, you told me you were going to be careful," Joe said reproachfully, internally cringing as he observed the nasty-looking bruises covering Barry's face. He knew that the only reason they hadn't healed yet was because it had happened only this morning. Normally, Barry would be healed within a couple hours, but something must have been inhibiting his healing ability. Something about prison life wasn't agreeing with him, and Joe couldn't exactly pinpoint what that something was as he looked at his foster son with worry.

"I didn't ask for this, Joe," Barry said defensively, gesturing towards his beaten face, "I've been trying to keep my head down, but almost everyone here knows by now that I worked for the CCPD, and that doesn't make me the most popular kid on the playground. The guy chin checked me. I wasn't going to just let that slide."

Iris raised an eyebrow.

"He 'chin checked' you?" she asked, "What does that mean?"

"It's when you punch an inmate to see if they'll fight back," Joe answered, shaking his head at Barry. One week in prison, and he was already using the prison slang.

"Can't they transfer you?" Iris asked Barry seriously, "Can't they take you out of gen pop?"

"I've already tried that," Joe said to her, "I was turned down. I'll put in another request order though. We'll make sure he gets transferred to a segregation unit."

"No," Barry said suddenly. The other two looked at him in surprise.

"No, don't do that, Joe," Barry said, "I'm fine where I am."

"Barry," Joe said, "I'm not going to let you stay in a place where you're being targeted and beat up by other inmates. I won't stand for it."

"I _want_ to be in gen pop," Barry told him.

"Why?!" Iris asked incredulously, "Why would you want to stay in a place where you're getting your ass kicked every day?"

"Hey, you should see the other guys," Barry said defensively, letting out a small laugh.

"This isn't funny, Barry," Iris said reproachfully, "You could get seriously hurt in here. Why on earth would you want to stay in gen pop?!"

"Because of your dad," Joe said quietly, staring at Barry, understanding now, "You don't want to transfer out of gen pop because you want to stay with your dad."

Barry looked at Joe with sad eyes and gave a slight nod of his head.

"Please don't request to have me transferred," Barry begged him.

"Barry…" Joe said.

"Joe, please. I'd rather put up with a few assholes than move to some safety wing where I'll be all alone. I want to stay in gen pop."

Joe sighed.

"Okay," he said, "I won't ask them to transfer you."

"Are you sure about that, Barry?" Iris asked, looking at the horrible bruises covering his face.

"I'm sure," Barry said, nodding. Iris eyed him carefully. He had one arm wrapped around his ribs, no doubt unaware that he was doing it. She wondered how hurt he really was. He was clearly downplaying it and trying to hide how much he was hurting.

"I really don't like this, Barry," Iris said tearfully.

"I'll be fine," Barry assured her, despite the fact that his face looked less than fine, "So what's going on with my case?"

Iris wasn't happy with Barry's not-so-settle change of subject, but she let it go. They were still limited on time, despite the fact that she and her dad had come at a time that, according to Barry, was a good time to visit.

"We have a meeting with Laurel later today," Joe told him.

"You hired Laurel?" Barry asked.

"She volunteered," Joe said, "And she seems like a trustworthy person so…"

"Yeah, she is," Barry said, "She's a great lawyer too."

"I'm glad you think so," Joe said, "I'm meeting with her at four, so I can explain the case to her. She'll meet with you too of course, but they haven't been very lenient about you getting visitors, so I thought it'd be smart to have her all caught up before she meets with you."

"Good idea," Barry agreed.

Unfortunately their conversation was cut short soon after that when the guard approached them and told their time was up. Iris thought she might cry when she realized that she couldn't even hug Barry goodbye. It broke her heart. It looked like he really needed one. She tried not to let Barry see her cry as they parted ways, knowing that her tears would only make things harder for him, but by the time she got out to the car with her dad, she was practically bawling.

…..

 **Sorry, I know it's been a while. All my updates for all of my stories are going to be sporadic now. I'll try to post whenever I can. In the meantime, let me know what you thought of the chapter! I promise, it makes me update that much sooner.**


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